Homemade 'Nola

What precisely is ‘nola you ask? When my nephew Alex was first talking and making sentences, when he wanted a granola bar, he would ask for a ‘nola bar. It stuck. Now Solomon and I call granola ‘nola.

I’ve tried to make ‘nola in the past. It was a big fail. I tried a crockpot recipe and neither Solomon nor I liked it. It just wasn’t good. Looking back it was actually a weird combination of stuff, I should have known better!

Well, this time I decided to trust my instincts. I’ve seen enough granola recipes to know the basics of how to make it work, so I dug through my cabinets and gave it a shot. I barely measured anything, because I feel like granola is so far from a precise science. I did the “eyeball it” method, and I’ll share my estimates!

First, I sprayed a casserole dish with some non-stick spray. Just to be on the safe side.

Then came the base. Here’s the cast of characters:

3 cups of old fashioned oats

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup wheat germ

Then I added some nuts in for flavor and crunch.

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

about 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

I gave this all a stir to mix it up, and poured in around a cup of Xagave to help bind it all together. Another stir, then into a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. Three times while it was cooking I gave the granola a stir to mix it up. Once it was out of the oven I added some more flavor:

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried date pieces

Solomon and I both agreed it needed a little more flavor, so I put in more cinnamon and some nutmeg, and gave it another mix.

This recipe is a keeper, it was good! We’ve both had it with our oatmela in the morning lately. The only problem is that it is a little flaky, and not enough clumps, know what I mean? What can I do to make my granola clumpier?

We had received some whole wheat pancake mix for a holiday gift in a beautiful glass jar. I was told to put the (AMAZING!) pancake mix in the freezer, so I thought the pretty jar was the perfect place to put my pretty granola! Score!

What’s your favorite kind of granola? Do you ever make it from scratch?

I make my own all the time. You can get creative and put peanut butter, nutella, etc depending on what you are going for. Sticky substances like that help with the clumps though I have to say as long as I have been making it (over a year now) I don’t get mine as clumpy as store-bought. I am assuming that is the corn syrup and other not-so-healthy things they put in there. Sunflower seeds can be a nice addition.

I love granola. Its one of my weaknesses. I cant have it in the house cause i end up just munchin on it! I love Galaxy Granola though. I think you can only buy it here on the west coast so far (either than online) but they have an awesome vanilla flavor. Your home made granola looks so tasty though! Its so colorful! Healthy ingredients too which is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome granola recipe!! I gotta try making this soon.

What a timely post — I am planning to make granola this weekend for the first time! I’ll have to let you know if anything turns out well. I think I’ll try 2 different recipes I’ve found! Yours looks great, sorry it’s not clumpier!

I just started making my own granola again in December. I love how easy it is and how much control I have over what goes into it – i.e. I no longer have to wish they put less raisins in the mix. My basic mix always includes oats, flax meal, shredded coconut (even my husband who doesn’t like coconut says this adds to the mix), a mix of agave and maple syrup, a bit of oil, cinnamon, and ginger. I usually go light on the mix-ins – just some dried cherries. My favorite part of making granola is that it takes all of 5 minutes to mix together and then since you cook it on a low temp for so long it makes your house smell AWESOME!
I’m also a fan of the glass jar look – it’s so great to see something you made in such a pretty jar each morning – sense of accomplishment. I very much believe that homemade tastes better because you put some of yourself into it, so when you eat it, you’re remembering that you made it 🙂